Riding it out -- Some Lake Charles residents ignore evacuation order

Chuck Squatriglia, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 2:16 pm, Friday, September 23, 2005

Photo: Lance Iversen

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Roger Noland from Lake Charles Louisiana walks on his desk that jets out into Calcasieu Lake that feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. Noland is one of a few that have made the decision to ride out hurricane Rita that should hit land at midnight tonight. By Lance Iversen/San Francisco Chronicle less

RITA23_0205.jpg_
Roger Noland from Lake Charles Louisiana walks on his desk that jets out into Calcasieu Lake that feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. Noland is one of a few that have made the decision to ride out ... more

Photo: Lance Iversen

Riding it out -- Some Lake Charles residents ignore evacuation order

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(09-23) 14:16 PDT Lake Charles, La. (SF Chronicle) --

Roger Noland has everything he thinks he needs to ride out a hurricane: a big generator, plenty of food, a pack of cigarettes and a shotgun.

One might think that, with a hurricane packing 125-mph winds barreling straight for the Gulf Coast not far from his house, Noland might heed the order to leave town.

Almost everyone else in this city of 71,000 did.

But no, Noland is among a handful of people who are staying put, confident that good planning and a little luck will keep them safe.

Ive got a steel structure under my house, a 50-kilowatt generator and I cant think of a better place to ride it out, he said today.

Hurricane Rita was still a good 200 miles offshore this morning, but gusts topping 45 mph had Nolands gray T-shirt fluttering. Whitecaps lapped the deck of his boathouse on Calcasieu Lake, which leads to the Gulf of Mexico.

This will be under water before long, said Noland, 54, as he looked over the boathouse deck. It sits on pilings inches above the water and covers three-quarters of an acre.

I expect to lose some shingles, and the wharf will go under, he said. But this wont be as bad as Katrina.

Others arent so sure.

Aside from police and a few stubborn holdouts, the Gulf Coast from Galveston, Texas, through much of Louisiana is empty. More than 2 million people have moved inland along highways that only today cleared of gridlocked traffic.

The exodus is unprecedented, officials said, and those who remain do so at their own risk.

There is a mandatory evacuation order for Lake Charles and the rest of Calcasieu Parish, but Louisiana law doesnt allow the authorities to throw people from their homes. So although the police want everyone out, theres little they can do about holdouts such as Noland.

They came by and waved at us, he said.

Noland lives in a wealthy part of town called Shell Beach. Hes got a big four-bedroom house made of brick, with thick wood shutters over the windows. Hes got a months worth of food, and several friends are staying with him.

Ive got a plumber in there, an electrician in there, he said, pausing to light a cigarette. If things go south, weve got the talent to fix things.

And a back-up plan, just in case.

Plan A is to stay in the house, Noland said. Plan B is to go into the basement. Plan C is to get in the truck and leave.

A few blocks away, 50-year-old Rudy Stickell was battening down his mothers house, a ramshackle structure in the Margaret Place Historic District neighborhood.

She had 10 kids, he said of his mother, who is 82 and went farther inland to stay with family. Outlived four of them.

Plywood was nailed haphazardly over some windows, corrugated tin over others. The yard was littered with scraps of wood used to reinforce the place, which is 111 years old. Aerosmith played on a battered boom box on the porch.

The police stopped by Stickells place too, having seen him through the front door. They thought he was a looter, Stickell said, and asked what he was doing there. He said he planned to ride it out, and the officers went on their way.

Stickell has some food, some water and some weapons should anyone try to loot the place. He picked up an old samurai sword by the front door and waved it around. It was dull, and the blade was nicked.